CHORUS in the News: GBC News features the CHORUS Ghana Technical Working Group Meeting

CHORUS Ghana is working with a range of stakeholders, including the residents of La Nkwantanang Madina and Ashaiman Municipalities (intervention sites), Municipal Health Directors, the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service among others, to co-produce, implement and evaluate a package of interventions that enable sustainable provision of life cycle health promotion and prevention programs and services at the household and community level for urban poor populations in Ghana.

An extensive baseline needs assessment was undertaken in both the La-Nkwantanang and Ashaiman Municipalities in Greater Accra, in order to:

• Assess service availability and readiness, utilisation, management and finance practices that support the provision of health promotion, prevention and first level clinical care services for urban poor populations in public and private sector, including the CHPS program; 

• Analyse factors that influence awareness, access to and utilisation of the CHPS program by urban poor populations; 

• Assess the existing individual and organisational capacity assets and gaps of key stakeholders and the urban health system (community members, frontline health workers and managers, local government) to engage in intervention co-production, implementation, monitoring and evaluation for effective life cycle provision of health promotion, prevention and first level clinical care for urban poor populations in the context of an urban CHPS program.

Findings of the needs assessment revealed key information on the utilisation of CHPS services in the site areas, including that the patronage of the CHPS programme has reached an all time low, with residents choosing to first visit pharmacies when seeking health care, rather than utilise the services of CHPS health officers. These findings were shared and discussed with the project’s Technical Working Group in August 2023. Stakeholders involved in the Technical Working Group include the Municipal Health Directorates, Community Health Officers, Assembly members, Community Health Committee members, and community members.

The workshops gained coverage on national news portals, such as the Ghana News Agency, GBC News.

Featured Image: CHORUS Technical Working Group Meeting, Ashaiman Municipality, Greater Accra, August 2023.

Credit: University of Ghana